What size and/or model car to rent in France? Need trunk space.
May 16th, 2015, 05:28 PM
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What size and/or model car to rent in France? Need trunk space.
We'll be traveling to Paris and Provence this summer, picking up a rental car for a few days near Avignon. It appears the "what size car?" threads are several years old, so I would appreciate your thoughts on models or size class before I rent one.
We are two adults and two young teenagers. Traveling with one large suitcase (my husband needs suits/shirts/pants for several weeks of meetings, plus casual vacation clothing), three carryon-size suitcases, the kids' backpacks and hubby's briefcase. So my first thought is - we'll need trunk space!
Looking on autoeurope.com, my first thought was "midsize," but the icons indicate trunks only big enough for one large and two small suitcases. We need enough room for one large and three small. Do you think any of these cars could actually hold that many? Cars in this class are, in increasing order of price:
Renault Laguna or similar
Opel Astra Sport Tourer or similar
Renault Scenic or similar
Ford Mondeo or similar
Citroen C4 Picasso or similar
Ford Grand C-Max or similar
If I look instead at "family size" cars, which do indicate enough trunk room, there is only one option that's not double the price of the midsized cars. (For four days of rental car I would prefer not to pay $686 or higher). The less expensive family size car is from Avis - a "Nissan Qashqai or similar" whatever that is. Thoughts?
Also, do I need to add MiFi or GPS for the car? We will have our US AT&T iPhones with the international plan turned on for that month.
Thank you!
We are two adults and two young teenagers. Traveling with one large suitcase (my husband needs suits/shirts/pants for several weeks of meetings, plus casual vacation clothing), three carryon-size suitcases, the kids' backpacks and hubby's briefcase. So my first thought is - we'll need trunk space!
Looking on autoeurope.com, my first thought was "midsize," but the icons indicate trunks only big enough for one large and two small suitcases. We need enough room for one large and three small. Do you think any of these cars could actually hold that many? Cars in this class are, in increasing order of price:
Renault Laguna or similar
Opel Astra Sport Tourer or similar
Renault Scenic or similar
Ford Mondeo or similar
Citroen C4 Picasso or similar
Ford Grand C-Max or similar
If I look instead at "family size" cars, which do indicate enough trunk room, there is only one option that's not double the price of the midsized cars. (For four days of rental car I would prefer not to pay $686 or higher). The less expensive family size car is from Avis - a "Nissan Qashqai or similar" whatever that is. Thoughts?
Also, do I need to add MiFi or GPS for the car? We will have our US AT&T iPhones with the international plan turned on for that month.
Thank you!
May 16th, 2015, 05:54 PM
#2
I like to check photos on Google Images. (Make sure you're looking at cargo areas with the rear seats up.) If I still can't tell, I look up the cargo dimensions, measure the luggage, etc. Generally, I don't like leaving luggage visible in the car when it's parked, so no backpacks on the seats, etc.
We have a portable Tomtom GPS that we've taken on trips, so I haven't tried other options. I know if I relied on my phone (AT&T), there would be charges. I don't know how those charges would compare to the daily GPS rental fees, but I know the cost of our Tomtom was recouped after 10-12 days. BTW, we also found we liked having paper maps to help plan excursions.
We have a portable Tomtom GPS that we've taken on trips, so I haven't tried other options. I know if I relied on my phone (AT&T), there would be charges. I don't know how those charges would compare to the daily GPS rental fees, but I know the cost of our Tomtom was recouped after 10-12 days. BTW, we also found we liked having paper maps to help plan excursions.
May 16th, 2015, 09:55 PM
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Hi Julia
What you need is:
Intermediate/Midsize
5 Door(Hatchback)- Covered luggage inside the car.Cover is somewhat flexible to squeeze luggage in.
5 Passenger ( 4 passenger has smaller luggage space)
No to 7 Passenger ( 3rd row of seats usually take up luggage space even if folded down, plus more money)
No SUV (usually more money and some are 4 door)
Yes Station Wagon
No van (usually 7 passengers and more money)
80/20 rule. Your luggage will fit in only 80% of the cars assigned to you. What do you do about this. You go to a location with a large supply of cars. In your case Gare Avignon TGV( TGV trainstation). They will find a car that meets your luggage requirement even if the 1st car they give you does not. Sometimes the counter personnel know what they are doing, sometimes they do not. I have a 5 person family and have this issue all the time. Sometimes they even assign us a car with 4 seats( Munich airport 2011).
Good Luck. No need to order an expensive car larger than you need.
For only 4 days order the GPS with the car. I have my own handheld and I bring it with me. Iphone charges?
What you need is:
Intermediate/Midsize
5 Door(Hatchback)- Covered luggage inside the car.Cover is somewhat flexible to squeeze luggage in.
5 Passenger ( 4 passenger has smaller luggage space)
No to 7 Passenger ( 3rd row of seats usually take up luggage space even if folded down, plus more money)
No SUV (usually more money and some are 4 door)
Yes Station Wagon
No van (usually 7 passengers and more money)
80/20 rule. Your luggage will fit in only 80% of the cars assigned to you. What do you do about this. You go to a location with a large supply of cars. In your case Gare Avignon TGV( TGV trainstation). They will find a car that meets your luggage requirement even if the 1st car they give you does not. Sometimes the counter personnel know what they are doing, sometimes they do not. I have a 5 person family and have this issue all the time. Sometimes they even assign us a car with 4 seats( Munich airport 2011).
Good Luck. No need to order an expensive car larger than you need.
For only 4 days order the GPS with the car. I have my own handheld and I bring it with me. Iphone charges?
May 16th, 2015, 10:53 PM
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we cannot give you an exact answer.
The words or similar cont a lot so ordering one car can can mean a huge difference in luggage space if you get an "or similar". Luggage size may not equate to usefulness either.
You can look up on line the dimensions of each car. There even Youtube videos, with reviews.
Some cars have GPS installed. Just take your own GPS just in case you don't have one in the car. Don't forget to have updated maps and understand how to use all of the functions, like looking for a location using coordinates and changing between different types of co-ords.
I have no idea about what dollars you have written about.
The words or similar cont a lot so ordering one car can can mean a huge difference in luggage space if you get an "or similar". Luggage size may not equate to usefulness either.
You can look up on line the dimensions of each car. There even Youtube videos, with reviews.
Some cars have GPS installed. Just take your own GPS just in case you don't have one in the car. Don't forget to have updated maps and understand how to use all of the functions, like looking for a location using coordinates and changing between different types of co-ords.
I have no idea about what dollars you have written about.
May 17th, 2015, 06:06 AM
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"or similar" means that in 90% of the cases you get a car which is different from the sample car on the website. Most rental stations have different models within the booked class, so you might have a choice.
I looked up AVIS and the classes of cars which are okay for you are:
intermediate van (same price as standard, but with a larger trunk)
standard suv (e.g. Qashqai)
standard van
These models are hatchbacks so you are a bit more flexible with large suitcases.
I looked up AVIS and the classes of cars which are okay for you are:
intermediate van (same price as standard, but with a larger trunk)
standard suv (e.g. Qashqai)
standard van
These models are hatchbacks so you are a bit more flexible with large suitcases.
May 17th, 2015, 08:26 AM
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My husband is French and we live part time there, so we have done lots of long driving trips. We have driven almost every car on the list and they each have pros and cons. Recently, we drove a Nissan Qashqai in France/Spain for about six weeks. We had tons of luggage since my sister is a photographer. We were 3 adults but probably had your amount of luggage. The Qashqai's closest equivalent in the US is the Nissan Rogue, although according to wikipedia a bit smaller:
"The Qashqai is not offered in North American markets. Instead, Nissan offers the Nissan Rogue. Although larger and appearing to be a completely different model it is based on the same basic platform as the Qashqai / Xtrail with some visual similarities."
For me, there would be 3 things to consider:
1) Whether you think you need a closed metal trunk to protect against break ins. And, with the car choices that have the soft cover, with the amount of luggage your are describing, you will probably not be able to pull it over the luggage since the chances are you will have to stack it higher than the level at which the cover closes. This is particularly important if you are bringing laptops, expensive photography equipment, etc. If you know you will likely be with your car most of the time during the day i.e. picnics for examples versus leaving the car to tour museums, get lunch etc., then a cloth cover may be fine especially if you can close it. But unfortunately we have had at least 3 friends who have had their cars broken into in southern France while they were having lunch, Aix in particular. Many of the cities and towns in the south have cramped historic town centers, so you have to park nearer the typical circle streets that go around the historic center, so it makes it particularly easy for break ins to happen since you tend not to be near your car. You might even consider buying a tarp or cheap cover to at least cover luggage if it needs to be exposed in a back window. I know I sound paranoid, but there few things worse than losing all your luggage on a trip!
2)You mention that your husband "needs suits/shirts/pants for several weeks of meetings, plus casual vacation clothing" Is there any chance you can consider washing in between, or storing things your don't need for the vacation portion, or shipping things homes after the business part of his trip? If you could reduce the luggage, it would reduce the car rental price and alleviate some of the break in worry. The price difference might even cover the cost of storing or shipping. Paris has city locker for example: http://city-locker.com/mobile/index.php and sometimes hotels will let you store luggage (if you will circling back to the same city of course). And it sounds like you might be flying in and out of Paris, so city lockers might work.
3)Think about the places you will be visiting. We found the Qashqai mostly ok in France, but had some harrowing moments in some of the villages of southern Spain-tight streets, turns etc. So in general, for this reason, we try to get something as small and short as we can. So for example I prefer a smaller van than a Laguna, which has a closed trunk but is pretty long.
As dugi mentioned, if you are picking up the TGV station at Avignon, you should have adequate choice there to be able to actually have a choice and you can see what works for you.
"The Qashqai is not offered in North American markets. Instead, Nissan offers the Nissan Rogue. Although larger and appearing to be a completely different model it is based on the same basic platform as the Qashqai / Xtrail with some visual similarities."
For me, there would be 3 things to consider:
1) Whether you think you need a closed metal trunk to protect against break ins. And, with the car choices that have the soft cover, with the amount of luggage your are describing, you will probably not be able to pull it over the luggage since the chances are you will have to stack it higher than the level at which the cover closes. This is particularly important if you are bringing laptops, expensive photography equipment, etc. If you know you will likely be with your car most of the time during the day i.e. picnics for examples versus leaving the car to tour museums, get lunch etc., then a cloth cover may be fine especially if you can close it. But unfortunately we have had at least 3 friends who have had their cars broken into in southern France while they were having lunch, Aix in particular. Many of the cities and towns in the south have cramped historic town centers, so you have to park nearer the typical circle streets that go around the historic center, so it makes it particularly easy for break ins to happen since you tend not to be near your car. You might even consider buying a tarp or cheap cover to at least cover luggage if it needs to be exposed in a back window. I know I sound paranoid, but there few things worse than losing all your luggage on a trip!
2)You mention that your husband "needs suits/shirts/pants for several weeks of meetings, plus casual vacation clothing" Is there any chance you can consider washing in between, or storing things your don't need for the vacation portion, or shipping things homes after the business part of his trip? If you could reduce the luggage, it would reduce the car rental price and alleviate some of the break in worry. The price difference might even cover the cost of storing or shipping. Paris has city locker for example: http://city-locker.com/mobile/index.php and sometimes hotels will let you store luggage (if you will circling back to the same city of course). And it sounds like you might be flying in and out of Paris, so city lockers might work.
3)Think about the places you will be visiting. We found the Qashqai mostly ok in France, but had some harrowing moments in some of the villages of southern Spain-tight streets, turns etc. So in general, for this reason, we try to get something as small and short as we can. So for example I prefer a smaller van than a Laguna, which has a closed trunk but is pretty long.
As dugi mentioned, if you are picking up the TGV station at Avignon, you should have adequate choice there to be able to actually have a choice and you can see what works for you.
May 17th, 2015, 09:20 AM
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Thank you all very much. This is helpful! As some followup information, I will mention that the luggage will only be in our vehicle during our drive from the Avignon train station to the house we are renting in Roussillon and then on the day we bring it back from Roussillon to the train station. It will never be left alone in the vehicle. I think we will be safe to leave it in the rental house.
I have heard about public lockers being broken into, so I do not want to leave his suits in one. I might ask the hotel though; thanks for the idea.
Jpie or others, do you happen to think either the Qashquai or the other cars would be small enough to drive the roads and towns of the Luberon, yet large enough for all the luggage?
Maybe I should rent a mid-size for now and we can always upgrade to "family size" at the Avignon TVG station if it turns out to be too small and, as you quite reasonably suggest, they are likely to have other choices available.
I have heard about public lockers being broken into, so I do not want to leave his suits in one. I might ask the hotel though; thanks for the idea.
Jpie or others, do you happen to think either the Qashquai or the other cars would be small enough to drive the roads and towns of the Luberon, yet large enough for all the luggage?
Maybe I should rent a mid-size for now and we can always upgrade to "family size" at the Avignon TVG station if it turns out to be too small and, as you quite reasonably suggest, they are likely to have other choices available.
May 17th, 2015, 09:33 AM
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I think you need to determine the exact size of your luggage. Is the "big" suitcase 26" or 30" or even 32". If the latter two you may not be able to use any car with a regular trunk. So I would measure all of the luggage and then try to fit it (arithmetically) inside a box the size and shape of the trunk.
(We generally take an intermediate size sedan for 2 of us and a full-size sedan if we are 4 adults. And never take more than a 26" - and usually have 24" - which can be packed in to the trunk in more different ways. Traveled once with a friend with a 32" body bag and we had to get a full size car for just the 2 of us - or put her bag in the back seat.)
(We generally take an intermediate size sedan for 2 of us and a full-size sedan if we are 4 adults. And never take more than a 26" - and usually have 24" - which can be packed in to the trunk in more different ways. Traveled once with a friend with a 32" body bag and we had to get a full size car for just the 2 of us - or put her bag in the back seat.)
May 17th, 2015, 09:46 AM
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We had a Renault Laguna for a few years and it held about the same amount of stuff you mentioned in the OP. IF what you mean by "large" suitcase is no bigger than 28", and the kid's backpacks are modestly sized daypacks that can be squashed into nooks and corners.
A Qashqai is very similar to the Murano, although maybe not the brand new Murano re-design.
A Qashqai is very similar to the Murano, although maybe not the brand new Murano re-design.
May 17th, 2015, 10:31 AM
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If you only need the car to get luggage to your rental house that will make life 100% easier. I think the Qashquai should be okay for the Luberon. We spent 2 weeks driving there last summer and IMO, Roussillon was actually probably the most challenging. Do you know for sure that your rental house has kind of "easy" parking i.e. flat and somewhat open? If that is the case, then I think other places will be simple.
If your luggage isn't a huge concern, and maybe your kids are willing to put some things in between then on the ride from the train station to your rental house, then you could opt for a smaller car like something they consider a compact class. But my husband is tall, so the Qashquai was great that way-think about your back seat passengers in particular for legroom, headroom etc.
The worst case for the car was really in Spain-there are some super tight places in the hills in southern Spain. In most of the villages in France, they now almost always make you park at a city lot and walk in-not always true, but many times the case.
If your luggage isn't a huge concern, and maybe your kids are willing to put some things in between then on the ride from the train station to your rental house, then you could opt for a smaller car like something they consider a compact class. But my husband is tall, so the Qashquai was great that way-think about your back seat passengers in particular for legroom, headroom etc.
The worst case for the car was really in Spain-there are some super tight places in the hills in southern Spain. In most of the villages in France, they now almost always make you park at a city lot and walk in-not always true, but many times the case.
May 17th, 2015, 10:49 AM
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Just rent this!
Intermediate/Midsize
Insist on 5 Door(Hatchback),5 Passenger at the desk. You do not want a car with a conventional trunk. Form factor will not be your friend.
You can always drive to the rental house with the luggage cover off and/or stack the boys back packs on the seat between them.
Forget about the "upgrade". If "you" change to another category they will charge the walk up rate which is quite a bit more than you would pay from home.Let them offer a car that your luggage fits in at the rate you reserved.
Luberon roads are conventional size. No problem with any size vehicle.Roussillon is a nice place to stay! I love the Luberon!
Intermediate/Midsize
Insist on 5 Door(Hatchback),5 Passenger at the desk. You do not want a car with a conventional trunk. Form factor will not be your friend.
You can always drive to the rental house with the luggage cover off and/or stack the boys back packs on the seat between them.
Forget about the "upgrade". If "you" change to another category they will charge the walk up rate which is quite a bit more than you would pay from home.Let them offer a car that your luggage fits in at the rate you reserved.
Luberon roads are conventional size. No problem with any size vehicle.Roussillon is a nice place to stay! I love the Luberon!
May 17th, 2015, 11:09 AM
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I often travel between Spain and The North of Europe. The car is often loaded above the window line. I have a 7 seater wagon and never had any problems with security whilst is it left for a meal or parked over night in a hotel car park. I feel you are getting worried about something that is not going to happen to the majority of cars.
May 17th, 2015, 12:18 PM
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I have no worries about security; as I mentioned it is not a problem.
Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I decided to rent the "Renault Scenic or similar". As suggested by some, we may need a little helpful car adjustment from the rental agency, but I rented from Europcar and they have a five-star rating. If their models in this size class do not fit the bags (and yes, I think our kids would survive with a suitcase in with them) then the agency will surely find us a car that does work for us.
Thank you again.
Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I decided to rent the "Renault Scenic or similar". As suggested by some, we may need a little helpful car adjustment from the rental agency, but I rented from Europcar and they have a five-star rating. If their models in this size class do not fit the bags (and yes, I think our kids would survive with a suitcase in with them) then the agency will surely find us a car that does work for us.
Thank you again.
May 17th, 2015, 12:19 PM
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PS - http://www.parkers.co.uk/ is indeed a helpful site. It took me a little while to find my way around it, but one can click tabs to get full details including car length and trunk volume, as well as trunk photos.
May 17th, 2015, 12:24 PM
#16
Frankly, I would not recommend renting a huge car just for a minor trip or two with all of the luggage. People in the back seat can certainly bear to have some of their bags in their lap if necessary, no?
May 17th, 2015, 01:24 PM
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Getting back to the GPS...
The AT&T International Plan is all right for a few brief phone calls, or for emergencies, but its data plans are outrageously expensive. I think the cheapest is $30 for a little over 100mb, which is nothing. Typical data usage is about 300-500 mb per week.
With my Italian data plan, I get 20 times as much data for €10 (now gone up to €19, but I keep the old price).
I don't know what app you use for navigation on your iPhone, but some mapping apps allow you to download the maps in advance (sometimes for a fee) so that you don't need to use data services while driving. If you have an app that lets you do that, you're fine. You should keep the data services turned off except if you really need data, and rely on finding wifi for all your other connectivity. For navigation, you'll still need to turn on the GPS or satetellite service on the phone, but this doesn't use data services and doesn't cost anything.
If your mapping app doesn't allow offline use of maps downloaded in advance, then I would get a GPS unit with the car, or bring one from home.
The AT&T International Plan is all right for a few brief phone calls, or for emergencies, but its data plans are outrageously expensive. I think the cheapest is $30 for a little over 100mb, which is nothing. Typical data usage is about 300-500 mb per week.
With my Italian data plan, I get 20 times as much data for €10 (now gone up to €19, but I keep the old price).
I don't know what app you use for navigation on your iPhone, but some mapping apps allow you to download the maps in advance (sometimes for a fee) so that you don't need to use data services while driving. If you have an app that lets you do that, you're fine. You should keep the data services turned off except if you really need data, and rely on finding wifi for all your other connectivity. For navigation, you'll still need to turn on the GPS or satetellite service on the phone, but this doesn't use data services and doesn't cost anything.
If your mapping app doesn't allow offline use of maps downloaded in advance, then I would get a GPS unit with the car, or bring one from home.
May 17th, 2015, 10:40 PM
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Could not get 4 cases in the car? They must have been huge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJWidEUzvCw This is for a 5 seater.
If you get a Grand Scenic (7 seater) the rear is even larger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meeYZLaidoU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJWidEUzvCw This is for a 5 seater.
If you get a Grand Scenic (7 seater) the rear is even larger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meeYZLaidoU
